I want to give a special thanks to Kate for the fabulous cover she created for this story. And also to Eva for her invaluable support. Love both of you. Lyrics 'Only Time' by the one and only Enya. Thank all of you for the reviews, favorites and follows. I so appreciate them.
Who can say where the road goes
Where the day flows, only time
"Wha.. wha.. what?" Damon whispers...
"The cytology report on the pleural fluid is suggestive of Leukemia. Your blood work is abnormal too. Damon, when I palpate your abdomen, I can feel that your spleen is enlarged. We need to do a bone marrow biopsy to confirm the tentative diagnosis. I've asked Dr. Mikaelson to consult. She's an Oncologist or cancer specialist. She will do the biopsy. If the biopsy confirms the disease, she'll recommend a course of treatment," Bonnie informs us.
I look at Damon. He's in shock, staring at nothing. I get up and sit next to him on the bed and pull him into my arms. I feel him trembling. He buries his face on my chest. I feel my shirt dampening. I tighten my embrace and whisper "I love you" to him as he tries to regain his composure. He pulls me tightly to him. Taking a deep breath, he releases me before turning his gaze back to Bonnie.
"What's the survival rate for this? I have a life, Bonnie. Will I live to see my baby's birth? What about Elena? I can't leave her," he whispers anxiously.
"I actually did a little research before I came. "Of all adults diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, around 25% will live at least five years. Younger adults tend to do much better than older people. More than half of people under age 45 diagnosed with AML will live for at least 5 years. Some of these people will be cured, some will have a recurrence. Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing who will be cured and who will relapse."
The rest of the day goes by in a blur. Damon is quiet, in shock. Damon's breathing status has improved significantly since the fluid was removed from his lung. Bonnie made sure to order him a sleeping pill which I insist he take. Soon thereafter he is sleeping quietly. I hold him in my arms overnight, terrified of letting him go. I need to stay strong for him but my insides are churning with fear. As I watch every rise and fall of his chest, my mind takes me to places I can't even begin to entertain. Tears begin to well in my eyes. A life without Damon is incomprehensible. We met each other in grade school. He was a year ahead of me. Damon had that innate charm and confidence even as a child. I was smitten the first time I laid eyes on him. Of course, I could never tell him that. I remember feeling my knees weaken whenever he'd flash one his panty dropping smiles in my direction. One day I was studying at the library. He strolled in and sat down next to me moments before striking up a conversation. We talked for hours. By the time the afternoon ended, he'd wheedled me just long enough to agree to a date. I was a sophomore in high school then. We've been inseparable ever since. My eyes drift back to him, I palm his cheek ever so gently so as not to awaken him. "Don't you even think about dying. Do you hear? I won't have it Damon." I finger a stray hair from his forehead, press a delicate kiss right there before wrapping my arms gently around him again. I finally drift into a restless sleep, springing awake whenever the nurse makes her rounds periodically during the night. At least Damon is finally getting some much needed rest.
We're awakened first thing in the morning by a blonde woman.
"Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore, I'm Dr. Bekah Mikaelson. Dr. Bennett and I have been discussing your case. I'd like to do the bone marrow biopsy this afternoon with your consent. That will confirm our tentative diagnosis. We should have results from the pathology department sometime tomorrow. Then we can discuss and plan a treatment regimen for you. If you do have Leukemia, you're going to need to have an infusion port placed for chemotherapy. It's implanted under your skin and leads into one of the big veins in your chest. We can use it to draw your labs, give blood transfusions and administer your chemo. This way you won't need to have a peripheral IV placed every time you need chemotherapy or other intravenous products. I will see you this afternoon for the biopsy," she tells us matter of factly before making her exit.
"Elena, you need to go home and get some rest. You need to take care of yourself and this little one," he says, pressing a kiss to my tiny bump.
I entwine our fingers. "Talk to me?"
"What do you want me to say Elena? I'm 25 years old and I may be dying. We're going to have a baby that I may not live long enough to know," he whispers, averting his eyes from me.
I wrap my arms around him, "I love you Damon. You're not going to die do you hear me? I won't allow it." He looks at me momentarily before casting his eyes downward.
"You really should go home and get some sleep. I'm not going anywhere," he says defeatedly.
"Alright I will. I'll be back this afternoon for your biopsy. Do you need me to bring you anything?" He just shakes his head.
Tears flood my eyes as I make my way to our car. Not paying attention, I walk right into Damon's best friend Ric. They've been best buddies since Damon stopped some jerks from bullying him when he was the new kid in school. We all went to college together. They even work at the same office. Ric officially became family when he eloped to Vegas with my aunt Jenna. It was almost love at first sight when I introduced them. They have a three year old little boy, Jimmy.
I look at him dazed. "How did you know he was here? We didn't call anyone."
He takes one look at me and pulls me into his arms, "Damon did. What is it Elena, what's wrong?"
"They think he has Leukemia. He told me to go home for awhile. I need to call his parents. They need to know."
"What, no...it can't be. What can I do?" he asks, worry visible in his eyes.
"He's in room 506. Maybe you can take his mind off things for a little while. They're going to do a bone marrow biopsy this afternoon. I need to be back for that so I'm going to go. His boss needs a heads up too."
"Don't worry about the boss. I'll talk to him." Ric gives me another quick squeeze after we reach my car. "What about you? If there's anything you need, please let Jenna or I know. You know we love you both."
I wipe another tear from my eyes and shake my head. "Damon has to be our focus right now. He can't die Ric, he can't. I need him, the baby needs him. I can't do this alone." I blurt out, wiping my eyes. "Go talk to him. I'm going home to shower and change clothes."
Emotionally exhausted, I finally get home. In a daze, I lean back against the door, shoving it closed before sinking to the floor. I drop my head into my hands as fresh tears cascade down my cheeks.
After taking a short nap, I get up and step into the shower. It feels so good to have that hot water pelting against my skin. After changing clothes, I pick up my phone to dial Damon's dad. Joe and Damon's mother, Kathy, raised Matt, Rose, Stefan and Damon here in Mystic Falls. Joe is a retired attorney. Kathy worked in hospital administration. After retiring, they moved to Florida. Damon and I spent last Christmas with them. After dialing the number, I wait for one of them to answer.
"Hello." I hear Joe's voice on the other end of the line.
"Joe, it's Elena." I respond, trying to keep my tears at bay. "Damon is in the hospital. He was having some breathing trouble so we went to the emergency room. He had a fluid accumulation in one of his lungs. They removed it so his breathing is much better. It's just that some of his other tests are suggestive of Leukemia. They're going to do a bone marrow biopsy this afternoon to confirm it." Finally my tears break free again, "I'm so scared Joe. Damon, he's in shock. Joe, are you there?"
"Leu.. Leu..Leukemia," he stutters out. "Kathy is shopping with some of her girlfriends. I'll give her a call. We'll make arrangements to fly up there. Don't worry about the others. I'll take care of calling them when we know for sure okay?"
Nodding my head, "Listen Joe. He'll probably be upset that I called. Why don't you wait till we're sure of what we're dealing with. I promise I'll call as soon as we know okay? And thank you Joe. I'll talk to you later, bye," I utter before clicking the phone off.
Damon is getting into a wheelchair to go to his procedure by the time I walk back into his room. I press a kiss to his lips before they wheel him out of the room. I start to follow him when the nurse tells me that I need to wait for him here.
"I'm Eva, Mr. Salvatore's nurse. The Dr. will give him something to numb the area. They take the specimen from his hip bone." She says motioning to her posterior hip. "This area is where they'll get the biopsy from. They'll have him curl up on his side. They take a hollow needle and remove a 'core sample' of his bone marrow. That will then be sent to pathology to be examined. The Dr. will put a band aide on it. He may experience some pain for a couple of days. Usually over the counter analgesics are enough to control it. He'll be gone approximately an hour. He may be sleepy when he gets back depending on if they need to give him any anxiety medication."
"Thank you Eva. I appreciate the information."
"Damon if you want me to go home for the night, you're going to have to take that sleeping pill. Otherwise I'm not leaving you," I threaten. "How's your pain? You make sure you ask your nurse for some pain medication if you need it. You don't need to be in pain, Damon."
"I'm fine Elena. It just feels sore. Bonnie stopped for a moment while you were in the cafeteria. She said I could go home tomorrow if Dr. Mikaelson agrees. She said we should have results of my biopsy tomorrow. We won't be able to see Dr. Mikaelson in her office till next week anyway," he shrugs. "Go home, you need a good night sleep." He pulls me into a hug, kisses me passionately as if it's the last time, before sending me home for the night.
I arrive at the hospital just as Damon is finishing breakfast. He seems in better spirits this morning. "Hey sweetheart," I say leaning over to drop a kiss to his lips. "Did you sleep last night?"
"Actually I did sleep well. Those sleeping pills do the trick. I passed with 96% on my pulse oximetry so they turned off the oxygen," he smiles tightly.
I'm just about to ask him about his pain when Bonnie walks in, face grim, looking pointedly at Damon. "You have Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The biopsy confirmed our suspicions. I did talk to Dr. Mikaelson. She said she's fine with you going home. I'll have the nurse set up an appointment for you to see her at her office next week. Do you have any questions?"
Damon shakes his head. "I'll walk you out Bonnie," I say, taking her arm in mine.
Once we're outside of the room, she pulls me into her arms telling me that Dr. Mikaelson is the best oncologist in the area. "This isn't an automatic death sentence." she says stressing the word isn't. "Many people have beaten this disease. Damon can be one of them."
I raise my eyes to look at Bonnie, "Damon must be one of them."
Tell me what you think. Remember to hit that review button and follow along. Until next time...